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What I find really fascinating is that Amy wanted to come back after seeing Nick's performance on the news show, because we are initially led to believe that she wanted "that Nick", which on the surface sounds like she likes who that guy is. But I think what she's actually saying is that she was into what the actual Nick does, which mirrors her own behavior. The moment he begins playing the game by her rules, she's in. She's got somebody to go all sociopath with her. It is deeply fascinating how this film approaches themes of surface behavior, true motive, and outside appearance. I don't find the film specifically sexist or misogynistic, mostly due to the fact that all of the other women in the film are fully-realized characters. The film wasn't talking about women. It was talking about this woman, and took efforts to make sure we knew so. Still, some will always miss the point, adding any ammunition to the MRA handbook is always going to be a bad thing, and adding images to the cultural zeitgeist suggesting that rapes are often faked isn't the best idea ever, but again, the film went out of its way to portray several different types of women that don't fit into one of three-or-four stereotypes we're so used to seeing in media. I could see it being damaging, sure, but it told a story of a sociopathic woman in the least damaging way possible. For women, anyway. If anything, I'd worry more about the film's ableist leanings. The antagonist has a medical problem so stigmatized that Nick will gladly spend the rest of his life playing games with her and fearing his own brutal murder instead of suggesting, "Uh, hey. Let's go see a loving doctor." This is how stigmatized mental illness is.
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Oct 6, 2014 21:24
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It doesn't really matter. The Bechdel is more a measure of every movie released in a year than each individual movie. "This movie didn't pass the Bechdel test" isn't nearly as damning as "Only three Hollywood movies this year passed the Bechdel test."
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Oct 7, 2014 05:08
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TrixRabbi posted:Another thing I like was Fincher seemed to pull a page from Hitchcock's Stage Fright. Stage Fright is infamous for Hitchcock "cheating," by showing us a false past in a lie told by the villain. Fincher does the same here, giving us a fake flashback of Nick pushing Amy into the banister. This furthers the media commentary. Even the film itself lies to us in order to convince us that Nick is an abuser and a potential murderer. TrixRabbi posted:I always like to point out that Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS passes the Bechdel Test, but Jeanne Dielman does not. A movie not passing it does not mean it is a bad movie in any way. Looking at how Hollywood releases so few films that pass it is what's bad.
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Oct 7, 2014 20:47
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TrixRabbi posted:And I'm well aware of how the Bechdel Test is meant to work. It's just using it as an argument against Gone Girl is null (especially since it passes) because you can have horribly sexist films that pass and feminist triumphs that fail. I also stand corrected on my other point.
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Oct 7, 2014 22:57
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Zwabu posted:I don't think the pat defense of "oh you think it's misogynist because YOU assume Amy must represent ALL women, the issue is with YOU" is that strong. It's always going to be damaging, because stupid people will always be stupid. But its aim is to explore the very issue you're talking about, and that's what makes it different to me. It's meant to explore stereotyping, and media portrayals. Again, though, I totally see where you're coming from, and agree that many could walk away from this film affirming their preconceived notions about women. And that's a shame, because I think the film's aim is contrary to that result.
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Oct 8, 2014 18:29
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